updated 12:20 pm EDT, Mon May 10, 2010

WirelessHD 1.1 spec gets faster, mobile

A second ultra-fast wireless standard received an update on Monday as the WirelessHD Consortium put out the 1.1 version of its spec. The new version ups the bandwidth to a minimum 10Gbps and maximum 28Gbps; the extra speed renders it possible to send 3D and 4K video over wireless. Portability is now a major focus as well: it can stream uncompressed video between the source and a handheld such as a smartphone or a media player.

Both regular and portable devices can now also create personal area networks for syncing files between devices. Even at the lowest possible amount of power, it should still supply "multi-gigabit" transfer speeds and reduce the amount of battery drain on mobile hardware.

HDCP 2.0 encryption is likewise new and will send copy protected video through while still allowing copying for files.

The Consortium didn't give a timeframe for when the 1.1 spec would reach shipping products, as companies are only now being given access to the new version of WirelessHD. It should reach a new wave of wireless TVs and home theater receivers and now has the option of reaching many smaller devices.

It arrives just as WiGig is also coming to hardware manufacturers and could lead to multi-gigabit wireless for virtually all networking and streaming in the relatively near future.